Enviro Monday: Some good news from Mother Earth in 2017

Highvelder has compiled an inspirational list of environmental triumphs this year.

China promised to ban ivory trade by end of 2017

An estimated 70 percent of ivory ends up in China, as it is the largest market for legal and illegal ivory in the world. The promised ban on all exports and imports has the potential to save thousands of elephants from poachers every year.

READ MORE: Legislation, without enforcement, is useless in combating poaching in Africa: expert

Take note SA: Israel’s desalination solutions to water shortages

Israel has developed a pump that turns seawater into fresh water providing drinking water for a million and a half people. The country has proven that it is one of the world leaders in desalination after decades of research. Their reverse osmosis technology has been the answer to the worst drought Israel has had in 900 years. Take note, South Africa – this technology could solve water access problems globally in the future.

The giant panda is no longer endangered

The giant panda has been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable on the list of species at risk of extinction, demonstrating how an integrated approach can help save our planet’s vanishing biodiversity. There are now 67 reserves in China safeguarding large swathes of mountainous bamboo forests, which shelter countless other species.

50% of plastic in the ocean could be cleaned up over a period of 5 years

More than five trillion pieces of plastic litter the ocean, accumulating in five ocean garbage patches. The Ocean Cleanup Foundation plans to remove 50% of that plastic over a five-year period. A long, floating barrier acts as an artificial coastline, passively catching and concentrating ocean debris, powered by the ocean’s natural currents. After extensive testing, the first deployment of the cleanup system is planned mid-2018.

Canada to protect 85% of British Columbia rainforest

Canada won a 20-year battle to protect the planet’s largest coastal temperate rainforest, the Great Bear Rainforest. Environmental activists, forestry companies, and First Nations representatives agreed to protect 85% of the forest, allowing logging activities to continue in the remaining 15% under very strict guidelines.

Tiger populations are growing for the first time in 100 years

After a century of constant decline, the number of wild tigers is on the rise again in India, Russia, Nepal and Bhutan. Tracking tiger populations and understanding the threats they face is vital for protecting them. Classified as endangered, tigers daily face the hazards of poaching and habitat loss. Every part of the tiger – from its whiskers to its tail – is sold in illegal wildlife markets.

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https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/legislation-without-enforcement-is-useless-in-combating-poaching-in-africa-expert/